Ocean Giants

Ocean giants like whales, sea turtles, sharks, and dolphins are an increasingly rare sight in the world’s great seascapes. Commercial hunting, pollution, habitat destruction, and entanglement in fishing gear have decimated their numbers. Despite the grave threats, these creatures are also remarkably resilient creatures. They undertake vast migrations that span huge swaths of the globe, following the same complex route year after year. WCS works from the nesting beaches of Sulawesi’s sea turtles to the breeding grounds of Madagascar’s humpback whales to guard that route—and the future of the world’s ocean giants—through cooperative management, training, and education.

Featured Species

Although big and blubbery, elephant seals are excellent swimmers, spending up to 10 months fishing in the open sea. The species gets its name from the male's large
proboscis, which resembles an elephant's trunk.

The leatherback turtle is the largest species of sea turtle and can swim thousands of miles across ocean basins. The species faces myriad challenges, including habitat destruction and entanglement in nets.

Built for the extreme conditions of the Arctic, walruses spend about two-thirds of their lives in frigid waters, and the other third on land. These marine mammals migrate with the pack ice, traveling south during the Arctic winter and north during spring.

From the Newsroom

By collecting and analyzing the DNA of 60 blue whales, a group of scientists determined there may be two distinct populations in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. This information could help inform an effective protection plan for this endangered species.